The field of the invention is the field of imaging of teeth in a mouth.
The above identified U.S. patent application summarizes the background of the art in great detail. In brief, the prior art to the above identified application is deficient in that images of teeth taken with light transillumination were not reproducible. The above identified application teaches that the illumination source and imaging system must be held in a reproducible and repeatable position with respect to the tooth by anchoring the source and imaging system physically with respect to the tooth.
The present invention is an apparatus for digital imaging fiber optic transillumination of teeth in a mouth. The invention comprises a spring mechanism prong attached to a body holding an optical fiber or other illumination system. The spring mechanism prong contacts the proximal surfaces of at least one tooth and holds the illumination system so that the illumination system illuminates the tooth in a reproducible manner. An optical imaging system attached to the body may then be used to produce reproducible images of the tooth using light transmitted and scattered through the tooth. The most preferred embodiment of the invention uses two prongs which contact both proximal surfaces of the tooth.